It’s been a moment since we last heard from Levi Rowan and it appears that the Fredericton-based rapper is undergoing something of a reinvention. It’s been more than a year since we last spoke to Levi for the release of his single “Devil Do It Right,” and while his latest video for “Night Terrors” delves further into that theme of a man possessed, there are more than a few very obvious changes to his sound….
The video itself is a glossy number, with Levi being dragged through a nightmarish landscape of funhouses and pits; a torment inflicted by an uneasy subconscious as he laments his misplaced bedmate.
Levi shares a direction credit for the video with with Alex Gayoso, perhaps best known for his videography work with Neon Dreams. Levi’s collaboration with Gayoso only adds further fuel to the rumours that Levi has been taken under the wing of Halifax’s Neon Dreams and working with them to produce his next album. Not only has it ended a year-long silence, but the results are showing a clear and remarkable step forward for Levi.
Oh yeah, and about that ukulele…. Not that it’s sticking out like a sore thumb and, on the contrary, it’s a nice addition, but amidst everything else; that thick new layer of polish and the sleek looking video, certainly the most noticeable change to Levi Rowan’s sound is the addition of that ukulele. The likelihood of the nylon stringed jumping flea becoming a staple to Levi’s backing roster might be slim, but it does mark a huge shift in direction for the rapper. The two years since the then-18-year-old released his 2017 debut album, Nude Beach, and perhaps a little guidance both seem to have had a softening effect.
Levi Rowan has yet to make any official announcements about the near-inevitable release of an upcoming album, but there’s no doubt there’s plenty more like “Night Terrors” just waiting in the wings.